Runner kills dog with bare hands to protect his son

ST. LUCIE, FLORIDA — Joshua Harris was running with his seven-year-old son riding his bike in St. Lucie, FL on Saturday. Along his run he was attacked by a dog that soon met its fate at the hands of Harris in an act of self-defense.

The aggressive half Lab/chow mix dog snarled at Harris and his son. When Harris noticed the dog, he instructed his son to get behind him. "It happened very quickly but I can tell you that as soon as I saw the dog snarl, I was very very afraid," said Joshua Harris to CBS 12 news.

Harris was scratched and biten several times on the arm, finger and nose. "Trying to protect my son, I just got my hands around the neck and was able to get on top of it and was able to keep it under control, and I didn't get off until I knew the dog couldn't hurt us anymore."

When police arrived the dog was already dead. It is not certain whether the dog died of being choked or a broken neck. The owner claims the dog has never done anything like this before and that all the dog's shots are current, though the owner was unsure about rabies.

An American flag marks the spot in the owner's yard where the attack occurred. The owner claims the need to kill the dog was unneccessary and says Harris should face criminal charges. "Once he grabbed that dog he would not let that dog go," dog's owner John Malone said. "He just wouldn't. It's like something happened to him and he just choked the life out of it. He could've held that dog down, you know, without killing it."

Harris' son was unharmed. Police do not believe it is a law-enforcement issue. Malone claims the dog has never behaved like this before.

Credits - This true article, "Runner kills dog with bare hands to protect his son" by Erin Sanders, was published on the "Examiner.com".

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